Does the RSPCA/Channel 5 delight in animal cruelty?

[TheFoX]

Like me, many people will watch the Dog Rescuers on Channel 5 because we are animal lovers who are appalled at the cruelty some of our race can inflict on our four legged friends.

It is always nice to see a dog rescued, given a lot of TLC, then to find them their forever home with an owner who genuinely loves them.

But, is there a trend to make the animals suffer for our entertainment?

The reason for questioning the motives of the RSPCA and Channel 5 was when Anthony Joynes rescued a German Shepherd bitch called Rio from an owner who had neglected the animal to such an extent that half her face was missing. What I could not understand was why, if this animal needed urgent medical treatment, or even Euthanasia, did Anthony Joynes feel the need to give an interview to the camera team about the condition, when he should have prioritised treatment of the dog.

I know it is Television, and that this could help their career, and heighten the awareness of animal cruelty, but surely the treatment of such a neglected animal should have taken priority over air time. Surely the interview could have been done after the dog had received treatment.

Even when the dog was examined by the vet, she then did an interview for Channel 5, obviously giving her her five minutes of fame.

So, does the welfare of the animals in their trust take second place to appearing on TV?

You can imagine that we were shouting at the TV such things as, 'For ducks sake, get that animal to the vets', and, 'For crying out aloud, stop talking and get going you idiot!'.

I respect what the RSPCA are trying to do for animal welfare, but when they prioritise television over that welfare, I question their motives.

I never want to see an animal suffer like that again. It is bad enough that owners can be careless, but for an RSPCA inspector to defer animal treatment to appear on TV is disgusting.

What do you guys think? Do you think I am over reacting, or that money speaks louder than words or deeds?

 

[geraldrobins]

I didn't see the programme but could it be that the animals were given priority but the editing of the programme made it appear differently.
Otherwise they are bringing these acts to the public and showing how inhumane some can be, to increase awareness and possible reporting, and possibly increase voluntary contributions to help more animals in the long run.

 

[brucemillar]

That dog should have been put to sleep with urgency. I was not impressed at them building a show around it. The animal was obviously in agony.

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[Yugguy]

It is very unlikely that the order of events on screen is the order in which they really happened.

 

[lisa110rry]

FoX, you have gone up in my estimation immeasurably. Your avatar is quite 'macho'-looking and I hate to say it, but I judged a book by its cover. Thankfully, I have not seen that particular programme in the series. I will make sure I never do. All of us who love dogs and have been in the situation where we can care for them, have had to make hard decisions, sometimes the hardest decisions of our lives, to let them go. We can console ourselves that our best friends have had a good, happy and fulfilling life. That poor animal, from your description, had not.

Written while our dog is in her cosy bed behind my husband's chair and a friend's dog which we're minding overnight while owner is away, is sitting behind my legs.

Regards, Lisa, Miss (Vivian) Leigh Terrier and little West Highland Lilly (sic)

 

[brucemillar]

We don't like this.

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[TheFoX]

It is very unlikely that the order of events on screen is the order in which they really happened.

The interview was conducted at the back of the RSPCA van with Anthony Joynes holding the dog that was in agony, with the street scene clearly showing that he had not moved from the road in question. He was actively pointing to the wounds on the dog, explaining to the camera operator how he had visited this dog a few years earlier. All this was done while the dog was crying, which was why we were screaming at the TV screen to get the dog to the vets.

Sometimes those precious seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

@lisa110rry

My love of animals well exceeds my love of cars. We've had numerous dogs over the years, as well as a number of horses and ponies. In fact one of our ponies, a New Forester, was destined for dog meat when we got the opportunity to save him. Bobby, officially called Sky, ended up being one hell of a show jumper, winning numerous rosettes.

My own name, TheFoX, comes from the fact that Summer, one of our Yorkshire Terrier bitches, was actually sired from a Fox, a fact that our vet confirmed when he took an X Ray of her entire skeleton during a cancer scare. Sadly, she died in 2012.

Jodie, our other Yorkshire Terrier bitch, who we spent £1000's on to do a cruciate repair early on in her life, passed away in 2013 from dementia, which was accelerated by the loss of Summer the year earlier.

 

[brucemillar]

The two Huskies in my pic above:

Mischa: The white bitch, was a one day away from being put down.
Loki: The biscuit male. Had a similar fate awaiting.

Mischa was found living wild, thought to have been abandoned. She was starving and covered in mange.

Loki. As above but was found with another female Husky (not related)

There is a big surge in Huskies being abandoned. This is attributed to Game of Thrones and the like that made these dogs fashions statements,

If you want a house dog or a lap dog? Please do not get a Husky.

If you have six foot fencing that extends underground (they tunnel) and want a friend for life. Get a Husky.

We have rescued four over twenty years. They never let us down and are loving and caring. To see them dumped is heartbreaking.

 

[alzieboy]

Should of done a bit of airbrushing there Bruce , the dogs got its lipstick out

Beautiful looking dogs

 

[brucemillar]

Yup. He is "done" but I think he still fancies a go. Don't we all?

FYI: The dog came from Battersea at Brands Hatch and the Bitch came from the Husky Rescue.

 

[TheFoX]

@ brucemillar.

Not long after Jodie passed away, my mother decided to dog sit for a company called Barking Mad, where they host dogs while owners are away. We've had any number of breeds including Staffies, Poodles, Yorkies and Jack Russels, but my favourite, which we hosted twice, was Dazzle, or Daz, which was a Husky cross Collie.

She had one Husky eye and one Collie eye, and had such a lovely temperament. She would sleep on my bed at night, taking more and more of the douvet. The only way I could describe her was elegant.

 

[poormansporsche]

In answer to the original question, yes. The RSPCA have to keep the coffers full and channel 5, well just check the sensationalist schedules.

 

[219]

Presumably , it was felt that by showing this material it would make a greater impact on the viewing public , heightening awareness of such cruelty , and that if it prevents even one more animal suffering at the hands of uncaring owners , then there is some justification ?

It has certainly made an impression here and has everyone talking about it !

 

[Yugguy]

Fair enough, I haven't actually seen it.

 

[219]

In fairness , I haven't seen it either .

To my mind , the only possible justification would be the prevention of further suffering in the future .

I do hope that the poor creature was either treated promptly after the interview , or humanely euthanised without further delay .

It would also be appropriate to report back on the measures taken against the person who mistreated the animal .

 

[John]

You only have to watch the Hillside Animal Sanctuary's investigation into some of the RSPCA's "Freedom Food" farms to realise not all of them who work there give a sh*t about animal welfare.

 

[KennyN]

I did watch it but as previously mentioned, the timeline of the edited footage may not reflect the actual sequence of events.You may find the dog had some pain relief as soon as it arrived due to the dire condition it was in.

At least they got the poor animal out when they did as it was "booked in" for euthanasia the following day, exactly as the owner had said.

Kenny

 

[TheFoX]

I suppose I have a bee in my bonnet over the commercialisation of cruelty as a way for Channel 5 to get a share of the viewers. Paul O'Grady's show, for me, is a much more naturally flowing program, with Paul himself being a Battersea ambassador.

It always strikes me as odd when you watch the celebrity version of a gameshow, where the players are playing for charity, that the appearance fees are often in excess of the money raised for charity. If it was truly for charity, why not just give the charity the appearance fee money. Of course, the reason they play for charity is because the TV company wants the ratings, and there is nothing better to tag at the heart strings than when someone famous is championing a good cause.

A few years back, Panorama revealed that not all that we see is real, and that many of the big charities are run more as a business than a charity, with overheads more in line with big business. It was revealed that the BBC Children in Need often invests our donations in a bid to cover the cost of the appeal, often with unethical companies, resulting in funds being released to the needy charities many years later.

In fact, the program also showed that the NSPCC decided that they no longer wanted a celebrity to represent them, so paid the celeb off to the tune of £500,000.

This demonstrates that when celebrities champion a charity, many of them receive a financial incentive to use their fame to highlight the plight of a charity. I know these people have to earn a living, but then why are the rest of us expected to donate to these same charities? If these people are earning millions, why don't they give a small percentage of their own earning to the charity, instead of earning from that same charity?

Panorama was calling for ALL charities to become more transparent in what they do with our money. If they employ celebrities on large salaries to represent them, we need to know how much of our money goes towards them. I know there are issues with data protection confidentiality, but as we are donating towards a good cause, I would like to know exactly how much of my money is going to the welfare of the cats and dogs, and how much is funding that next Ferrari.

@ brucemillar.

 

[stwat]

I did watch it but as previously mentioned, the timeline of the edited footage may not reflect the actual sequence of events.You may find the dog had some pain relief as soon as it arrived due to the dire condition it was in.

At least they got the poor animal out when they did as it was "booked in" for euthanasia the following day, exactly as the owner had said.

Kenny

The dog recovered and was shown happily bounding around at then end of the program.

 

[tangey]

Ok clearly dog lovers in here, so I'm thinking this will go down well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=C4y_h9xbyDE